XIAM007 - Making Unique Observations in a Very Cluttered World: 08/16/11

Tuesday, 16 August 2011

Vice President Biden to sell US debt deal during trip to China and Japan, two holders of huge amounts of U.S. debt -

Vice President Biden will tout the debt ceiling deal during a trip to China and Japan, two holders of huge amounts of U.S. debt.

Biden will travel to top lender China on Wednesday and to Japan, the second-biggest holder of U.S. bonds, on Aug. 22.

The vice president “will be in a good position to talk about the very strong deficit package that we concluded here recently,” Undersecretary of the Treasury Lael Brainard told reporters Monday in comments previewing the vice president's visit.

The debt-ceiling deal signed by President Obama could cut up to $2.5 trillion from budget deficits over the next decade, but it was a smaller package than the grand bargain Obama flirted with striking.

Standard & Poor's downgraded the nation's AAA rating to AA+ a few days after Obama signed the legislation. S&P had called for a $4 trillion package, and said it was left uncertain that U.S. politicians could agree to a larger deficit-reduction package.

But Brainard defended the bill, calling the Budget Control Act is a “major step” toward tackling the country’s “major fiscal and economic challenges.” She noted that “there continues to be extremely strong investor demand for U.S. Treasury securities.”

Stocks plummeted in the wake of the S&P announcement, but investors have so far flocked to U.S. bonds rather than abandoning them. Decreased demand for bonds by creditors such as China could cause a spike in interest rates that would both grow the debt and slow down the U.S. economy.

Biden will also push China to allow its currency to rise against the U.S. dollar. Democrats in Congress are clamoring for legislation to punish China for keeping its currency undervalued, something it does to make its exports cheaper compared to U.S. products.

“We know that it remains substantially undervalued. And the vice president will want to put a special emphasis on that,” Brainard said.

White House officials said that Biden does not intend to raise the issue of pending F-16 fighter jet sales to Taiwan during his visit. China is expected to object to this arms deal.

RON PAUL AD BLASTS OBAMA, GOP FIELD...calls GOP contenders 'smooth-talking politicians' -

RON PAUL AD BLASTS OBAMA, GOP FIELD...calls GOP contenders 'smooth-talking politicians' -

Ron Paul, the libertarian wolf dressed in Republican clothing, blasted his fellow GOP presidential aspirants on Monday in a video that calls them the same kind of politicians as President Obama.

Paul, who finished second in the Ames straw poll just 152 votes away from winner Rep. Michele Bachmann, has an ardent following in the GOP’s libertarian wing and on the Web, where he has been a money-raising powerhouse. Despite his popularity in conservative and libertarian circles, he has had problems moving beyond single digits on the national scene.

In the video, he lumps former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Minnesota’s Bachmann together with Obama and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi as "smooth-talking politicians" caught in the games of "he said, she said."

The ad is designed to remind Republicans that Paul has always been the outsider despite representing Texas in Washington, often voting against his party on "every tax increase, every unbalanced budget" and against raising the debt ceiling. And in 2012, being an outsider is a help.

Paul is "the one who will restore liberty," the narrator intones. Paul is “the one who can beat Obama and restore America now.”

In the wake of the straw poll, the media has focused most of its attention on the trio of Romney, Perry and Bachmann, generally ignoring Paul despite his strong second-place finish. But polls have shown over the years that Paul can rise a bit beyond just being a gadfly and could play a role in the nominating process.

Perhaps more importantly, Paul has set the intellectual tone for at least part of his party and paved the way for the "tea party" movement and its strength in the GOP. He has ridden the wave of fascination with Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek and his free-market vision of small government as the road to freedom. In his video, Paul also pledged to “stop the spending, save the dollar" and "create jobs" -- the mantra in the 2012 presidential sweepstakes.

On foreign affairs, Paul said he will "bring peace," ending U.S. military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan and the U.S. role along with NATO in Libya. As a libertarian, Paul has long opposed U.S. intervention abroad, putting him at odds with parts of his own party that favors a robust U.S. presence on the world scene.

The video ad is scheduled to play in Iowa and New Hampshire, where the first presidential nominating contests will be held in February.
Read more -
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-ron-paul-gop-20110816,0,1093453.story

OOPS - In-flight film "explains" mysteries of female pleasure - 50-minute French film "The Female Orgasm Explained," -

The in-flight entertainment on some planes run by Australian airline Qantas currently contains a somewhat unusual offering -- a movie that purports to elucidate the mysteries of female sexual pleasure.

The 50-minute French film "The Female Orgasm Explained," which includes naked scenes, is carried on long-haul "Video on Demand" aircraft in the airline's "The Edge" channel -- complete with a warning that it is for mature audiences only.

"In general programs are selected according to quality of content, box office/ratings, topicality and Qantas customer demographics," Qantas said in a statement, adding that programs were screened by their program team before licensing.

"With the Edge, we source programs that are out of the ordinary across all genres."

Airline crews are able to block content to the seats of minors and at the requests of their parents, it added.

The film will be run until November.

The choice of film may be a bit risky given the fact that airlines are usually quite careful about what they show, said Catriona Eider, an associate professor at the Department of Sociology and Social Policy, Sydney University.

"I think sociologically it's interesting they are showing something that has the potential in that quite confined space to have people say 'Oh, what are you watching?' or shows that might be understood as titillating as porn," she said.

But she added that changing social norms mean that off-limit topics have shifted.

"'In Sex and the City', the orgasm is something pretty much spoken in everyday levels. It's no longer the taboo subject it was."

RNC Chairman Priebus Calls On President Obama’s Campaign To Pay For His Debt-End Bus Tour -

WASHINGTON – Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus released the following statement calling on President Obama to use his campaign account to pay for his Debt-End Bus Tour instead of taxpayers:

“This week taxpayers made a donation to the Obama re-election campaign. No matter what the President says, his Midwest bus tour is nothing but a campaign trip. As his approval rating hits a new low, the White House is resorting to desperate measures to salvage his image. He said he would make jobs his number one focus. This week he is focused on just one job: his own.

“Worse yet, he’s campaigning on the taxpayer’s dime. Rolling through the Midwest in a brand new million-dollar taxpayer-funded tour bus, the President is holding town halls to rally his disaffected supporters in states crucial to his re-election. He’s talking about campaigning against Congress and dolling out talking points, not policy plans.

“If the President would rather campaign than lead, his re-election campaign account should foot the bill.”

Are you ready for Big Brother 2.0? - 10 new ways that the government will be spying on you and controlling your behavior -

Are you ready for Big Brother 2.0? If you think that the hundreds of ways that the government watches, monitors, tracks and controls us now are bad, just wait until you see what is coming. We live in an age when paranoia is running wild. As technology continues to develop at an exponential pace, governments all over the globe are going to discover a multitude of new ways to spy on us and control our behavior. In a world where everyone is a “potential terrorist”, we are told that things like liberty, freedom and privacy are “luxuries” that we can no longer afford. We are assured that if we just allow the government to watch all of us and investigate all of us that somehow that will keep us all safe. But it isn’t just the government that is watching us. Now we are being taught to spy on one another and to report any trace of “suspicious activity” to the government immediately. The entire civilized world is being transformed into one giant prison grid, and many of the new technologies that are now being introduced are going to make things even worse.
The following are 10 new ways that the government will be spying on you and controlling your behavior….
#1 Are you ready for “electronic skin tattoos”? One team of researchers has created an extremely thin, extremely flexible “smart skin” that will open up a whole new world of possibilities. Wearing “skin-mounted electronics” might seem like a great idea to tech geeks, but it also could create a whole lot of new problems. The following is how an article in one UK newspaper described this new breakthrough….

The “epidermal electronic system” relies on a highly flexible electrical circuit composed of snake-like conducting channels that can bend and stretch without affecting performance. The circuit is about the size of a postage stamp, is thinner than a human hair and sticks to the skin by natural electrostatic forces rather than glue.

Yes, this kind of technology would be a great way to connect wirelessly to the Internet and it would be helpful for doctors that need to monitor their patients, but the potential for abuse is also there.
Once this type of technology becomes widespread, governments will be able to monitor the location and activities of their citizens like never before.
In addition, this type of technology could one day become mandated by governments. For example, someday you may be required to have an “electronic skin tatoo” in order to prove your identity or to participate in commerce.
Also, it is not too far of a stretch to imagine that “skin-mounted electronics” could be used to control large populations. Just remember, if you connect yourself physically to the Internet, that also means that the Internet is connected to you.
#2 According to a shocking document obtained by Oath Keepers, the FBI is now instructing store owners to report many new forms of “suspicious activity” to them. According to the document, “suspicious activity” now includes….
-paying with cash
-missing a hand or fingers
-”strange odors”
-making “extreme religious statements”
-”radical theology”
-purchasing weatherproofed ammunition or match containers
-purchasing meals ready to eat
-purchasing night vision devices, night flashlights or gas masks
According to WorldNetDaily, this document is part of a “series of brochures” that will be distributed “to farm supply stores, gun shops, military surplus stores and even hotels and motels.”
#3 The U.S. military has developed an invisible “pain ray” that is remarkably effective. The following is how a recent article posted on Alternet described this weapon….

It sounds like a weapon out of Star Wars. The Active Denial System, or ADS, works like an open-air microwave oven, projecting a focused beam of electromagnetic radiation to heat the skin of its targets to 130 degrees. This creates an intolerable burning sensation forcing those in its path to instinctively flee (a response the Air Force dubs the “goodbye effect“).

Sadly, this weapon is already being used in American prisons. How long will it be before it is used on the general population?
#4 Be careful about what you put up on Facebook or Twitter. Law enforcement agencies all over the globe are now focusing on social media as never before. For example, the NYPD has just created a special “social media” unitdedicated to looking for criminals on Facebook and Twitter.
#5 Facial recognition technology has now come of age. With the millions of security cameras that are going up all over the world, such technology is proving to be very useful for law enforcement authorities. In fact, police in London are using it to track down people that were involved in the London riots. The following is an excerpt from a recent CBC report that described these efforts….

Facial recognition technology being considered for London’s 2012 Games is getting a workout in the wake of Britain’s riots, with officers feeding photographs of suspects through Scotland Yard’s newly updated face-matching program.

Facial recognition technology is rapidly going to become part of our everyday lives. In fact, now even Facebook is using it. Eventually it is going to become very difficult to avoid the reach of this technology.
#6 “Smart meters” are going into homes all over North America and Europe. These smart meters monitor your home every single minute of every single day and they transmit very sophisticated data about your personal behavior back to the utility company.
They are already being usedby police all over the United States in drug cases. If a smart meter catches you using an “unusual” amount of energy there is a good chance that your home will be raided.The European Parliament has set a goal of having smart meters in the homes of80 percentof all electricity consumers by the year 2020, and Barack Obama is working very hard to get them into as many American homes as he can.
#7 Our children are being trained to accept being under surveillance almost constantly. For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is spending huge amounts of money to install surveillance cameras in the cafeterias of U.S. public schools so that government control freaks can closely monitor what our children are eating.
#8 Perhaps you thought that only Tom Cruise had to worry about “pre-crime”. Well, now “pre-crime” is popping up in the real world too. The Florida State Department of Juvenile Justice has announced that it will begin using analysis software to predict crime by young delinquents and will place “potential offenders” in specific prevention and education programs.
#9 According to the ACLU, state police in Michigan are now using “extraction devices” to download data from the cellphones of motorists that they pull over. This is taking place even if those pulled over are not accused of doing anything wrong.
The following is how an article on CNET News described the capabilities of these “extraction devices”….

The devices, sold by a company called Cellebrite, can download text messages, photos, video, and even GPS data from most brands of cell phones. The handheld machines have various interfaces to work with different models and can even bypass security passwords and access some information.

#10 LRAD sound cannons are already been used by law enforcement authorities to disperse large crowds inside the United States. So how much “damage” can sound do? Well, it turns out that sound can actually do a whole lot of damage. The following is how Alternet describes these cruel weapons….

The Long Range Acoustic Device, or LRAD, built by American Technology Corporation, focuses and broadcasts sound over ranges of up to hundreds of yards. LRAD has been around for years, but Americans first took notice when police used it in Pittsburgh to ward off protesters at the 2009 G-20 summit. It is generally used in two ways: as a megaphone to order protesters to disperse; or, if they disobey, as an “ear-splitting siren” to drive them away. While LRAD may not be deadly, it can permanently damage hearing, depending on how it’s used.

LRAD sound cannons do not discriminate. When they are being used to disperse protesters, any innocent bystanders in the area will be affected as well. If anyone gets too close to an LRAD sound cannon while it is in use, permanent damage can result. Small children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable. Sadly, the use of LRAD sound cannons is becoming more common. In fact, they have even been used to break up college block parties.
So is this the kind of world that you want to live in?
Do you want your children and grandchildren to live in a world where liberty and freedom are all but forgotten?
This world is headed toward a very dark place. These “Big Brother” technologies are going to become even more pervasive and even more oppressive. If this trend is not stopped now, someday these technologies will get into some very evil hands, and then all hell will be unleashed.
So what do all of you think about these “Big Brother” technologies? Please feel free to post a comment with your opinion below….

Read more -
http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/big-brother-2-0-10-new-ways-that-the-government-will-be-spying-on-you-and-controlling-your-behavior

No Free Lunch for Italian Senators - the public got hold of a copy of the Senate restaurant menu -

Food inflation may have been an abstract concept for Italian senators up until last week – that is, before the public got hold of a copy of the Senate restaurant menu that has reignited the debate over parliamentary perks.
The privileges enjoyed by Italy’s political class range from the doubtfully useful (chauffeur-driven car and public transport passes) to the eccentric (access to VIP boxes at football matches; free entry to health clubs, theatres and cinemas).

But it’s the impossibly low prices charged for a meal at Palazzo Madama that have stirred the public’s anger.

At 1.60 euros, a plate of spaghetti with fresh anchovies is cheaper than a cappuccino. A beef fillet carpaccio will set you back 2.76 euros, about the same amount an ordinary Italian would pay for a beer at a bar. The veal entrecote or the grilled swordfish steak are definitely a bargain at 3.55 euros, a dish that would fetch over 20 euros at any other restaurant. Throw in silver waiting service and the luxurious surroundings of the Senate palace and you’ve got yourself a five star meal at soup kitchen value.

It’s hardly surprising Italians are outraged by their senators’ “free” lunch. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has adopted new austerity measures aimed at balancing the budget by 2013, but the package has been widely criticized by economists, business and union leaders alike for weighing too heavily on the middle class and lacking any growth-oriented steps.

With the menu gone viral on social websites and blogs, Italy’s parliament is now at the receiving end of thousands of protests and calls to end MPs’ privileges. Over the weekend, the Senate has been forced to publish a press release pledging to charge appropriate prices for its meals. Senators may be left with a bitter taste in their mouths, and there won’t be any bargain Brunello di Montalcino around to wash it down.

Read more -

http://www.cnbc.com/id/44154720

Joan Price Talks Out Loud: You're Never too Old to Have Great Sex -

If it's true that every generation believes it's the first to discover sex, then it's also true that the same sexual facts must be taught over and over, including the misconception that old people "just stop doing it." The truth is (here we go again) that people older than 50 (and 60, and 70, and 80) continue not only to have sex but sometimes the most mind-blowing sex of their lives. Author Joan Price is among these people. She appears Tuesday night at the Center for Sex and Culture. Price met who she considers the love of her life at age 57. (He was 64.) They had a profound connection, a great relationship, and amazing sex. She wrote a book called Better Than I Ever Expected. Yet she continued to meet older people who said their sex lives were suffering and they couldn't find help. So Price wrote Naked at Our Age: Talking Out Loud About Senior Sex. (Sadly, her partner died before she completed it.)

We spoke with Price recently by phone.

What are some common misconceptions about seniors and sex?
The most common from society at large is that older people are asexual, or that they're pathetic if they are sexual. I sometimes speak with young people who react with an "ick factor" about older people having sex. So I smile and ask them, "At what age do you plan to retire your genitals?"

What's the reaction to that?
They generally don't say anything for a moment. They stop and consider their own selves and say, "I'd never thought of it that way."

What are some misconceptions older people have about themselves?
For women, many when they get older no longer feel desire, or they don't feel it in the same way they once did. So if they're never "in the mood," they figure there's no reason to have sex so they may as well give it up. But here's the revelation: At our age, when our hormones are depleted and the biological urge to reproduce is gone, that doesn't mean we're less capable of arousal and orgasm. So I advise that instead of waiting for "the mood" to strike, get started with foreplay and "warm-up," and once you get the physiological elements going the mood will follow. Several experts -- I interviewed 45 for the book -- say that this is the way: Just do it. After you get started, the mood will follow. And the more that women do this, they more they want to. If we get out of the habit, we're at risk of losing our drive. Also, sexual parts of the body are just like any other -- they work better and stay in shape when they get regular exercise. So with regular sex or masturbation, for example, we'll maintain our pelvic floor muscles, which otherwise could begin to contract and not "remember" how to relax, leading to pain.

How about among older men?
A common challenge for men is the erection. Some older men find that erections are no longer dependable -- once they're achieved they're difficult to sustain. Applying condoms and other safer-sex supplies can compound this. Many men find this terribly embarrassing. They don't want to go to a physician, and they don't want to fail in the act, so they don't even want to try. It sets up a pattern of perpetual regress. A way around this challenge is remembering there are other ways to please a woman outside intercourse, and that doing that on occasion does not make a person less of a man. I tell them "It's time to get past the I-am-my-penis upbringing."

On this same topic, older women often don't know how to treat a male partner who experiences this "erectile dissatisfaction." They wonder, "Should I leave him alone and get off myself?" This brings up another potential challenge: communication surrounding intimacy and sex.

Some older people have very few places to turn for answers. Almost no one in the medical profession, for example, has been trained for this. One woman I met said that after asking a question about sex, "my oncologist bolted from the room and sent in a nurse."

What do you plan to do at the Center for Sex and Culture?
I've been talking at bookstores, but is really the first place that I believe we can get really graphic. I'll start by sharing some of the questions and stories I've heard from people since the book came out. Some of those stories are dramatic, while others are funny. That discussion should lead to numerous questions from the people attending.

What age groups do you expect will attend?
I've had old and young people at all of my talks, and I encourage everyone and anyone to come. Some younger people who've attended my talks have older partners, some work in the medical or psychological profession and have questions they can apply to their patients, and some just come and say "I"m here because I want to know what to expect."

Study says that women in the media are often portrayed in overtly sexual – even "pornified" ways, and its getting worse -

Study says that women in the media are often portrayed in overtly sexual – even "pornified" ways, and its getting worse -
Rolling Stone magazine covers_20110815140643_JPG

Rolling Stone magazine covers_20110815140643_JPG

A study from the University of Buffalo has suggested that women in the media are often portrayed in overtly sexual – even "pornified" ways – and it's gotten more obvious over the past few decades. Men, on the other hand, are not as intensely, or as often, portrayed as sex objects.

Though this may not come as a surprise to most readers, it is problematic. Study authors Erin Hatton, PhD, and Mary Nell Trautner, PhD, assert that exposure to such images can be cause for concern.

"We don't necessarily think it's problematic for women to be portrayed as 'sexy,'" Hatton stated in a news release about the study findings. "But we do think it is problematic when nearly all images of women depict them not simply as 'sexy women'; but as passive objects for someone else's sexual pleasure."

Hatton and Trautner came to these conclusions after analyzing 43 years of Rolling Stone covers, totaling more than 1,000 images. They gave each image "points" on a "scale of sexualization." For example, points would be allotted if "the subject's lips were parted or his/her tongue was showing, the subject was only partially clad or naked, or the text describing the subject used explicitly sexual language," according to reports.

They found that in the 1960s, 44 percent of women and 11 percent of men were sexualized on the magazine covers. Flash forward 40 years and the figures are even more startling: In the 2000s, 83 percent of women and 17 percent of men were depicted in a hyper sexualized way.

What makes these figures so scary is that the study authors have correlated the sexy images with violence.

"Sexualized portrayals of women have been found to legitimize or exacerbate violence against women and girls, as well as sexual harassment and anti-women attitudes among men and boys," Hatton said in a news release. "Such images also have been shown to increase rates of body dissatisfaction and/or eating disorders among men, women and girls; and they have even been shown to decrease sexual satisfaction among both men and women."

Body image and style blogger Sally McGraw contends that the damage these images can do also extends beyond one's physical self.

"As this study points out, portraying women as sexy or sexual isn't inherently problematic. But creating a visual environment in which images of women's bodies are, essentially, meant to represent the sex act itself is both problematic and alarming. Women are human beings, and to transform them into passive symbols for sex is dehumanizing, objectifying and insulting," McGraw said in an email.

"This trend directly impacts how women feel about, treat, and dress their bodies. Most images representing socially-sanctioned female beauty already show bodies and faces so retouched as to be virtually impossible in nature. When those retouched images are then hypersexualized, observing women feel tremendous pressure to look, behave, and feel like what they're seeing in the photos. And when they can't live up to those standards, a cycle of self-loathing begins."

Phone hacking 'widely discussed' at News of the World -

Phone hacking was "widely discussed" at News of the World, the royal correspondent jailed and sacked for the practice wrote in 2007, according to documents released Tuesday by a Parliament committee investigating the scandal.
The letter was among a string of documents released by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee relating to the scandal.
The committee is likely to call News Corp. executive James Murdoch to testify before them again as members try to determine whether he misled them last month about the scale of phone hacking at News of the World and who knew about it, member of Parliament Tom Watson said Tuesday.
Executives at News International have argued that illegal activities were not widespread.
Both James and his father Rupert Murdoch, as well as former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks, who previously edited News of the World, gave evidence to the committee last month.
James Murdoch ordered the closure of the News of the World, Britain's best-selling Sunday paper, in July in the face of allegations of illegal eavesdropping and police bribery by its employees. The scandal has led to the resignation of a number of senior police officers and executives at News International, the British arm of News Corp. which ran the newspaper.

Read more -
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/08/16/uk.phone.hacking/

16 Statistics Which Prove That The American People Are Absolutely Seething With Anger -

According to a whole host of polls and surveys, the American people are incredibly angry right now. The American people are hopping mad at the government, the American people are hopping mad about the economy and the American people are hopping mad about the direction that this country is headed. Never before in modern U.S. history have the American people been this angry. There is vast disagreement about what the solutions to our problems actually are, but what everyone can agree on is that the American people are absolutely seething with anger right now. The statistics that you are about to read are mind blowing. We used to be such a happy country. Once upon a time we were one of the happiest places on earth. But as the economy has fallen to pieces anger has been steadily growing. If something is not done to turn the economy around eventually this anger is going to erupt in frightening and unpredictable ways.
The American people are not equipped to handle hard times. We are incredibly spoiled. Most of us have only known good times, and most of us have been taught that we will have endless prosperity all of our lives because we live in the greatest nation on earth.
Well, “the greatest nation on earth” is about to get a massive wake up call. We are up to our eyeballs in debt and we are bleeding jobs, businesses and wealth at an astounding pace. Our economy is dying right in front of our eyes, and most Americans have been so “dumbed-down” that they don’t even realize what is happening.
But what most Americans do know is that things are “bad” and they want someone to “fix” things. They know that something is “not right” and they want things to go back to the way things used to be. The longer it takes for things to return to “normal”, the angrier they are going to get.
The following are 16 statistics which prove that the American people are absolutely seething with anger right now….
#1 A new Washington Post poll has found that a whopping 78 percent of Americans are dissatisfied “with the way this country’s political system is working”.
#2 That same poll found that only 26 percent of Americans believe that the federal government can solve the economic problems that we are now facing.
#3 Gallup says that Barack Obama’s job approval rating has hit an all-time low of 39%.
#4 According to a recent CBS News/New York Times poll, Congress has a disapproval rating of 82%.
#5 A new Rasmussen survey has found that 85 percent of Americans believe that members of Congress “are more interested in helping their own careers than in helping other people.”
#6 That same survey found that 46 percent of the American people believe that most members of Congress are corrupt. That figure was a new all-time high.
#7 According to a different Rasmussen survey, only 17 percent of Americans now believe that the U.S. government has the consent of the governed.
#8 A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll discovered that 73 percent of the American people believe that the nation is “on the wrong track”.
#9 A recent poll taken by Rasmussen found that 68 percent of Americans believe that we are actually in a recession right now.
#10 According to Gallup, the percentage of Americans that lack confidence in U.S. banks is now at an all-time high of 36%.
#11 U.S. consumer confidence is now at its lowest level in 30 years.
#12 According to a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, 90 percent of Americans believe that the economy is performing poorly.
#13 That same poll found that approximately 80 percentof Americans believe that it is “difficult” to find a job these days.#14 According to one recent poll, 39 percent of Americans believe that the U.S. economy has now entered a “permanent decline”.
#15 Another recent survey found that 48 percent of Americans believe that it is likely that another great Depression will begin within the next 12 months.
#16 According to a brand new Rasmussen survey, 48% of Americans believe that reductions in government spending are “at least somewhat likely” to result in civil unrestinside the United States.
So why doesn’t the government step in and spend a whole bunch of money and make everything all better?
Well, the problem is that we have done this time after time before and now we are broke.
We have been living way, way beyond our means for decades and now the bills are coming due.
David Walker, the former Comptroller General of the United States, has been warning about our debt problem for years. Walker says that the United States is heading for a “sudden and very painful” economic collapse….

“Here’s the bottom line. If you take the total liabilities of the United States – public debt, unfunded pensions, retiree health care, under funding with regard to social security, with regard to medicare, a range of commitments and contingencies – as of September 30 2010 we would have had to have had $61.6 trillion dollars in the bank in order to be able to defease those obligations.”

The cold, hard truth is that the U.S. national debt should have been addressed many years ago when it was still relatively small.
At this point, there is no solution to our national debt problem under our current financial system.
Most state governments are also facing huge financial problems. The state government of Illinois is so broke at this point that it can’t even afford to bury the poor people that are dying.
But Illinois is not alone. All over the country, state and local governments have been implementing austerity measures.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, state and local governments have slashed more than half a million jobs since August 2008.
That is a whole lot of good jobs that aren’t there anymore.
But government debt is not the only debt problem that we are facing. Personal debt is also a raging crisis.
According to USDebtClock.org, the total amount of personal debt in the United States is now over 16 trillion dollars. The exploding levels of personal debt have created a tremendous amount of stress in households from coast to coast.
When I was growing up, it seemed like almost everyone was in the middle class. But today the middle class is shrinking at lightning speed.
According to author David DeGraw, 17.3% of all Americans were living in poverty during 2009. Not only that, DeGraw also says that 9 major U.S. cities have a poverty rate of over 25 percent.
Can you imagine that?
In fact, there are some cities such as Detroit where the poverty rate is over 35 percent.
It is hard to believe what is happening to America. Today, there are over 45 million Americans on food stamps. That number has increased by approximately 12 percent in the last year alone.
There are currently 34 million Americans that need a full-time job. Unemployment is rampant and there is intense competition even for part-time jobs that pay minimum wage.
So where did all of the jobs go?
Well, as I have written about previously, globalism is absolutely devastating our economy. Millions of our jobs have been shipped to countries where labor is far, far cheaper and they aren’t coming back.
In addition, millions of Americans that do still have jobs are also deeply struggling right now. There are millions and millions of Americans that are working part-time jobs because that is all that they can find right now. Millions of other Americans are flat broke and are discovering that their paychecks are “shrinking” due to inflation. Wages have barely risen while prices for food and other necessities are skyrocketing.
Most families are really struggling to get by right now.
According to the Washington Post, the average yearly income of the bottom 90 percent of U.S. income earners is $31,244.
It is really hard to pay a mortgage and feed a family on that income.
The only people that seem to be doing well are at the very top.
The average yearly income of the top 0.1% of U.S. income earners is 5.6 million dollars.
Not that making money is a bad thing, but when an economic system funnels all of the rewards to the very top you know something is deeply broken.
The poorest 50% of all Americans now own just 2.5% of all the wealth in the United States.
A lot of poor Americans have literally fallen off the map. The Daily Mailrecently did a featureon one tent city that has been constructed deep in a forest in New Jersey….

In scenes reminiscent of the Great Depression these are the ramshackle homes of the desperate and destitute U.S. families who have set up their own ‘Tent City’ only an hour from Manhattan.
More than 50 homeless people have joined the community within New Jersey’s forests as the economic crisis has wrecked their American dream.

You can see shocking pictures of this tent city right here.
So it is no wonder why so many Americans are so angry.
If you lost your job or your home you would probably be angry too.
Most Americans just want to be able to go to work, make a decent living, pay the mortgage and provide for their families.
But in America today that is becoming increasingly difficult to do.
Our economy is a giant mess and the American people are becoming very angry.
If the economy gets even worse, they are going to become even angrier.
Storm clouds are gathering on the horizon.
Things are about to get very, very interesting.

Read more -
http://www.blacklistednews.com/16_Statistics_Which_Prove_That_The_American_People_Are_Absolutely_Seething_With_Anger_/15228/0/38/38/Y/M.html